Time spent waiting in checkout lines is a leading cause of customer dissatisfaction in retail shopping. Accordingly, retailers are continually seeking to improve the customer checkout experience.
A large percentage of retailers, notably grocery stores and general consumer merchandisers, rely on barcode technology to improve the efficiency and reliability of the checkout process. When entering pricing information at the point-of-sale, a product barcode is scanned by a barcode scanner and the product price is entered into the point-of-sale system.
Generally, a cashier scans items selected for purchase using an in-counter scanner (e.g., a bi-optic scanner). During the checkout process, an auxiliary hand-held indicia-reading apparatus may also be used by the cashier to provide additional flexibility (e.g., for coupon checking, loyalty card scanning, or shopping cart scanning). For instance, when a customer selects a large item for purchase that is impractical to lift and scan using an in-counter scanner, the cashier may use the auxiliary hand-held indicia-reading apparatus to provide convenient service.
Traditionally, the auxiliary hand-held indicia-reading apparatus was wired to the in-counter scanner using cords for power and communication. For maximum ease of use, however, wireless hand-held indicia readers having a rechargeable battery and a recharging base were developed. Wireless communication could be used between the portable hand-held unit and the in-counter unit in order to exchange information.
Although wireless communication may be used to exchange information between the portable hand-held indicia reader and the in-counter unit or register, a charging base is still needed in order to charge the portable unit. The charging base may be in a location that is not easy for the cashier to reach from the checkout station or it may occupy counter space on or around the in-counter unit. In any event, the requirement of a charging base is a tradeoff between efficiency and convenience.
Therefore, a need exists for improved indicia-reading systems having a hand-held reading apparatus with wireless charging capability.